


Now You Truly See Me

by Miraculous_Wolf



Category: Now You See Me (Movies)
Genre: Abused Daniel Atlas, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Daniel has Frontotemporal Dementia, Daniel has his curly hair, Frontotemporal Dementia, Hurt/Comfort, Neglected Daniel Atlas, Raped Daniel Atlas, Sad, Triple-A parent, identity crisis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-13 16:53:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10517904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miraculous_Wolf/pseuds/Miraculous_Wolf
Summary: One night, after the big New Years Show in London, the gang found out the truth about their own J. Daniel Atlas.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I was watching Now You See Me 2 for like the billionth time and went immediately to read MORE fanfics on it and I came across a fanfic where Daniel had been abused as a child. I wanted to write something on that since it really touched me sooooo tada! This little plot Bunny came up! I hope you like it!!

The show in London had to be the greatest show the Horsemen had ever had. The excitement and adrenaline of nearly being caught by the FBI was still fresh in their veins as they came to the house of the Eye. Yet by the time it was dark out, everyone was content to just sit in one of the living rooms that had two big leather couches, a huge fireplace and a pretty nice overview of the ocean.

Merritt had declared they needed a well deserved drink, despite the few protests from one Daniel Atlas. Dylan and they others happily drank the fine whiskey while Daniel took his time, small sips at a time, already feeling the effects of the alcohol. He could never hold his liquor anyway. By the time he finished his first glass, the others were relaxing into their second or starting a third.

"You drink like a girl," Merritt teased, pouring the amber liquid in Atlas' glass.

"I was taught that drinking too much too fast isn't an amazing combination."

"Such a princely type," Lula giggled, taking a sip of her own drink. She rested comfortably against Jack's chest, feet hanging loosely in Merritt's lap. Dylan chuckled into his glass, glancing from where he sat next to Daniel on the opposite couch. 

"No, just smart," Atlas corrected, swirling his glass around.

"And who taught you that? Daddy?" Daniel stayed silent so Merritt continued. "When I first met you, you were one of the easiest to read. All uptight and 'proper'. You came from a wealthy family and are used to getting what you want. That's why you have such freaky control issues."

Everyine laughed, even Daniel, but his was more sardonic.

"For someone who prides himself by saying how amazingly he can read people, I expected you to be more accurate." He gave the group a lazy smirk, sipping the last of his drink and setting the glass on his thigh.

"Pray tell what I got wrong?"

"You were right on one thing, I did come from a slightly wealthy family. My mom was a doctor and my dad was a successful business man." Daniel shrugged, eyes seeming to glaze into memories. "My mother was an amazing doctor, so the fact she caught the symptoms so late were startling."

"Symptoms?" Lula pryed.

"She had dementia," Daniel explained. "Frontotemporal Dementia. It, uh, leads to the loss of some brain functions and also shrinks your brain. She died when I was five and it has no cure."

The Horsemen were silent, minds racing at this new information of their friend.

"After my mom died, my dad turned into a Triple-A parent," At the confused looks, he elaborated. "Alcoholic, Abusive asshole."

"Daniel," Jack whispered, eyes wide and childlike, tears filling them.

"He sorta lost it after my mom. He wasted the money on whiskey and other forms of liquor. He didn't really hit me until I was eight. He just verbally abused me, telling me how worthless I was, how it was _my fault_  my mom died. Everything just crashed around me. I had lost both my parents and I was alone."

The Horsemen were quiet, anger, sadness and many more emotions flooding through them. They never knew. He was so good at hiding his emotions, they never even suspected Daniel could have been abused.

"You know it wasn't your fault right?" Dylan asked, handing reaching to touch some part of Atlas before drawing his hand back.

Daniel shrugged, gazing deeply into the fireplace, like it had all the answers. "I left when I was 14," he continued. "I didn't want to live like that anymore. But living in the streets with _nothing_  but the clothes in my back, life wasn't easy." A dark look passed over Daniel's eyes, shoulders hunching. He seemed to debate on whether he wanted to tell them before resigning to his fate.

"When I was 15, I had gotten used to some of the ways of the street. I knew which people I should manipulate to get food, which people to avoid. Of course I couldn't avoid all of them."

"Daniel-"

"I was raped."

The silence was deafening. A muffled shuffle of a shocked sob broken the silence and Lula was trying to hide her face. Merritt's mouth dropped open in shock, anger curling his fists. Dylan was tense beside Daniel, fingers scratching his leg so he wouldn't grab the younger magician and startle him. Jack was probably the worst off. His cheeks were flushed red with anger, tears openly flowing down his cheeks and jaw clenching.

"What?"

"I was raped," Daniel repeated. He seemed to just be talking now, his eyes wouldn't even meet the others. "I was walking down a clear road, people everywhere and he grabbed me from an alley. I was screaming and crying for _someone_  to help me but no one came. I couldn't trust anyone. He told me that a pretty boy like myself shouldn't be all alone. Once he finished with me though, that's what he did. I was bleeding, hurting and felt like I was dying and he just walked away, like nothing even happened. I changed then."

"Lionel Shrike became my escape from the cruel world. He showed me things that I never dreamed could happen. He showed me allusion and deception and I wanted to do that. Magic gave me something no one else had, control. I can control what people see, control how they feel. I was the one who manipulated situations and nobody else could manipulate _me."_

Daniel leaned back into the couch, eyes fluttering as he finally faced his tearful family. "So, I practiced magic, changed my name and traveled everywhere. I practiced different gigs and went everywhere money could get me. I met Henley a couple years later and then the rest is history," He shrugged, like he was talking about a team who lost a football game and he didn't even like football.

"What was your name? Before?" Dylan asked quietly when it seemed no one else would talk. Lula's shoulders were shaking as her face was buried in a black blanket. Jack was clutching his hair, face buried in his elbow, breath vocally hitching.

"Anthony Coleson," Daniel's lips curled in distaste. "I changed my name to Jason Daniel, after my mother's fathers' name. Atlas came from Greek mythology of the man that held the world on his shoulders." The young magician hummed to himself, curling up more into the arm of the couch, looking smaller then he was. "People used to say I have my mothers eyes."

"She must have been a beautiful women," Merritt said, voice soft and so un-Merritt like.

"She was. I have her eyes, her curly hair, her cheek bones and her disease."

"Wait what?" Jack's voice screeched, sitting up, fear clouding his features. "You what?!"

"I was diagnosed with Frontotemporal Dementia a year ago, after our first show. The Frontotemporal one can only effect younger people, teens, etc."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Dylan muttered, rubbing his hands over his eyes to stop the stinging behind them.

"I didn't want to cause more drama, or give Henley a reason to stay." Daniel answered honestly. "We were wanted by the FBI (still are), Henley wanted to live her own dreams, I didn't want to cause anymore unnecessary tension. I know you guys don't particularly like me-"

"Danny thats not-"

"-but don't you understand why now? Why I'm so controlling? I couldn't stop my mom from dying, I couldn't stop my dad from hitting me, I couldn't stop that man from raping me, I can't stop this disease. I _need_  to be in control of _something._ "

A second later, Jack settled himself right next to Daniel, arms finding themselves around the second youngest magician. He buried his face in Daniel's shoulder, small sobs heaving his body. Daniel blinked, slightly wary, but patted Jack's back lightly.

"Its ok."

"No," Jack sobbed. "No it's not."

Dylan moved to the other side of Daniel, pushing himself between the arm of the couch and the younger magician, pushing the younger man under his chin, burying his face in the curly hair. Merritt settled himself next to Jack, hand gently grasping the back of Daniels neck, as Lula rested herself on the ground, hand clutching Daniel's. Daniel was confused and becoming very overheated but found himself relaxing at the comfort he was so easily given. It wasn't what he was used to. He was used to fighting for his fathers or even Henley's affection. These people, his _family_ , were so ready to give it to him, something he craved fly for years. His body relaxed at the feeling of _safe._  These people were _safe_. 

He never realized that before.

He always thought _the closer you look, the less you see._

Yet it seems the less he saw, the closer he had to look and now?

He was fine just where he was.


End file.
